Governors Decry "Misguided Efforts" To "Derail" Compact

Feb 19: According to a release from the Great Lakes Council of Governors (CGLG), the eight Great Lakes Governors renewed their call to state legislators to take the steps needed to protect the region’s most valuable asset, the Great Lakes. Specifically, the Governors adopted a resolution again urging swift enactment of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact (compact) and rejected calls for renegotiations that will only serve to weaken the protections they endorsed more than two years ago. The Governors issued a clear statement decrying recent proposals to upset the delicate compromise among diverse and varied interests in support of protecting the Great Lakes through the compact.

On February 14, Ohio Senate President Bill Harris (R-Ashland, OH), and Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Michael Huebsch (R-West Salem, WI) announced they had teamed up to propose "modification" of the Great Lakes Compact and said they "will move expeditiously to pass legislation in their respective chambers." [See WIMS 2/15/08]

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, CGLG Chair said, “The Great Lakes are not only our greatest natural resource, but they are also a true national treasure. As Great Lakes Governors, we have been fighting to make sure we have a compact that preserves and protects the waters of the Great Lakes. We cannot allow misguided efforts to derail this important compact at this critical time.” Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty said, “This compact will improve and protect the health of the Great Lakes and our region’s economy. It was designed to enhance the protections many of our states already have in place and will protect us from new diversions of water from the Basin. We are hopeful that every Great Lakes state will ratify the compact soon.”

In a release the CGLG said, "The compact was developed by the Governors during an open and transparent process in order to ensure that everyone’s interests were represented and protected. As a result, there is an overwhelming consensus in favor of enacting the compact’s protections. Recent proposals by individual state legislators to change the compact threaten to destroy its protections and jeopardize regional management of the Great Lakes. Due to the legal vulnerability of current federal law, failure to enact the compact endorsed by the Governors will likely result in litigation through the courts or Congress interceding to exercise control over the Great Lakes.

Legislative approval has already been completed in four states: Minnesota, Illinois, New York and Indiana. Compact legislation has been approved by the Pennsylvania House and the Ohio House; bills are pending in Michigan; and, a bill is expected to be introduced soon in Wisconsin. Additionally, over 100 diverse groups of stakeholders who depend on the Great Lakes have endorsed the compact approved by the Governors.

Access a release from the Governors (click here). Access a resolution adopted by the Governors (click here). Access details on individual state adoption of the Compact (click here).